


A Criminal Mind

by PeregrineWilliams



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Psycho-Pass Fusion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Gore, Non-Explicit Sex, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25725247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeregrineWilliams/pseuds/PeregrineWilliams
Summary: He wasn’t much of a field agent. This is where he belonged. Locked up inside behind screens that allowed him to research how people think, better than a supercomputer system that was designed exactly for that purpose.The real problem was that humans didn’t act logically, and in fact acted erratically and impulsively to the point of self-destruction, especially when their weak points were pressured.Lelouch knew a thing about weaknesses and self-destruction.But that’s what made him useful to the System, after all.
Relationships: Kururugi Suzaku/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	A Criminal Mind

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still pretty fresh off watching Code Geass for the first time in 2020 and when I thought of an AU to write I never thought a Psycho-Pass one would actually be kinder to the characters than the canon, but here we are.

Lelouch stepped out of the Enforcer truck into the lightly sprinkling rain and wandered over to the tent that had been erected over the crime scene with the others. He didn’t really listen to the briefing, having already looked up the case file on the way over. Instead, he sized up the new Inspector standing beside the Chief. He had brown fluffy hair and green eyes, barely an inch taller than himself but certainly a much broader, athletic build. He was very young, close to Lelouch’s own age for sure, seemingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, eager to learn on his first day on the job. Lelouch anticipated that he wouldn’t last a week here. Something felt oddly familiar about him though.

He hated getting stuck with newbies. They were more unpredictable than veterans and he had to put more work into adjusting to whatever their idea of babysitting methods were. He would rather be stuck with a slacker than this Mr. Eager, at least then he would be free to do things  _ his _ way. Maybe they had finally run out of Inspectors willing to deal with someone like Lelouch. He supposed he should at least try to enjoy himself today. It was rare that he was even allowed outside the Bureau. 

The Chief indicated Lelouch as the Newbie’s assigned Enforcer, and Lelouch noticed the odd look he gave him. He assumed it was because he didn’t much look the part. Enforcers were usually much larger and physically fit than Lelouch, but he was a special case. He more than made up for the areas he was lacking in with his other skills.

The weapons cart rolled itself up, and Lelouch turned to grab his Dominator from its holster, the Newbie following him curiously.

_ Authorized user, Enforcer Lelouch Lamperouge recognised. Dominator is online. Trigger is locked. _

“The Dominator is the weapon of Enforcers and Inspectors,” he said, by way of greeting. “Are you familiar with it?”

“Umm… no,” Newbie said, reaching to grab one and then jerking his hand back in surprise.

“The Sybil system is able to communicate with you directly through the Dominator, you should hear its voice in your head. When you encounter the target, all you have to do is point it at him and do what it says. The Dominator acts as the judge, jury, and if necessary, executioner.”

Newbie blinked at it in surprise and took hold of the handle again. Lelouch watched him react to Sybil’s authorization, then gestured for him to follow, setting off at an easy pace down the street while the other Inspector ran past with his own team of Enforcers.

“You’re here to keep me in line, as I’m sure the Chief told you. The Dominator will also work on me, since my Crime Coefficient is high enough. You can test it if you want. Point the gun at me and it should tell you that the trigger is unlocked in Paralyzer mode, unless I’ve gotten worse recently. I’m going to do things my way, and if you don’t like it, feel free to shoot me. That’s what you’re for, after all.”

Newbie looked concerned but pointed the gun at him as he was told, and watched it change form. He suddenly looked up at him with that odd expression again.

“What? Is it on Eliminator mode?”

“No… I… it’s on Paralyzer but… you really are Lelouch!”

Lelouch stopped walking and looked at him more closely. Was the expression… recognition?

“Lelouch, it’s me! I’m Suzaku! We were pretty small when we used to hang out but I remember you before…”

A strange feeling constricted in his chest before he turned away from the Newbie and continued walking. “Before they arrested me and took me to the correctional facility,” he finished for him.

Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch remembered now, but he could  _ not _ deal with those memories at the moment. He had a task to complete.

“Lelouch? Shouldn’t we be following them?” Suzaku asked a little awkwardly as he followed his turn down an alleyway, in a completely different direction than the one the other team ran.

“This is how I do things,” he said simply, half-listening to the movement reports Sybil was feeding him upon request. “I memorized the layout of the area on the way over here. The target is likely to be assaulting a woman in a building two blocks from here.”

“A- assault… Why aren’t we doing anything then?!” Suzaku demanded, already anxious. He would definitely have to work on keeping a level head if he was going to succeed at this job.

“Calm down,” he said evenly as he continued walking at his leisurely pace, making another turn. “The other Enforcers will arrive on the scene long before I would have any hope of getting there. They’ll be sloppy, though, and the target will make it out through the fire escape. He’ll bring the girl with him to use as a shield, and that will affect his speed, so he’ll be using the maze of these back alleys to try to throw his pursuers off. The best route to do so will bring him right here.”

Lelouch stopped and pointed his Dominator down the next alley confidently. Suzaku followed him in a defensive stance, looking for threats. Sure enough, a minute or so later, Lelouch heard footsteps approaching on the wet cobblestone.

_ Nobuo Okura. Crime Coefficient 378. He is a target for enforcement action. Lethal Eliminator mode active. Trigger is unlocked. _

Lelouch took the shot immediately, before the target had time to throw his victim up in front of him. Suzaku gasped and the woman screamed as Nobuo Okura’s body expanded and exploded in front of them, drenching her and the alleyway in blood and body parts.

_ Chica Shimazu. Crime Coefficient 308. She is a target for enforcement action. Lethal Eliminator mode active. Trigger is unlocked. _

“Oh, that is unfortunate,” Lelouch mused as he pointed the Dominator at the woman instead.

“Wait!” Suzaku called, his voice high pitched and clearly shaken from what he had just witnessed. “She’s the one we’re supposed to be saving!”

The woman picked up a knife from what was left of the body and pointed it at Lelouch in hysteria, as if that had a chance of protecting her.

“Trauma has a habit of awakening an intent to kill in its victims,” he said, a little bitterly, maintaining his position.

“I said wait!” Suzaku yelled as Lelouch’s finger flexed on the trigger.

Lelouch felt an excruciating pain in his lower back and he suddenly lost control of his limbs, crumpling to the ground and blacking out as his head hit the pavement.   
  


* * *

  
  


Lelouch woke slowly, in a drowsy haze. His entire body felt numb. He flexed his fingers, but he only managed a slight twitch, and it felt like moving through water. He sighed and looked to the side, grimacing as he found himself face-to-face with Lloyd, grinning at him as he checked his vitals.

“How many times is this now, Mr. Lamperouge?” the doctor whispered, giggling to himself quietly.

“Fuck off,” he muttered in response, glad his facial muscles had recovered enough to speak clearly at least.

“Shh,” Lloyd put a finger to his lips. “You sure have an interesting Inspector there, you know. I’m very interested to see what he’ll do next.”

Lelouch turned his face to the other side with some effort to see Suzaku sitting at his bedside, fast asleep on his folded arms. “How… long has he been here?” he asked, frowning.

“I heard that after he shot you he talked the victim down to a hue that only required a Paralyzer. After they picked her up he brought you back to the Bureau himself and hasn’t left since. I think it’s been about 5 hours.”

Lelouch felt some heat rise to his face and groaned. How embarrassing. He would never hear the end of this from the other Enforcers.

Suzaku started to stir and Lloyd grinned and waved before excusing himself from the room. Lelouch cursed him under his breath. He didn’t want this moment alone with Suzaku right now, especially when he was so physically unable to escape.

Soon enough, Suzaku sat bolt-upright and looked to his face. “Lelouch! You’re awake! Are you okay? I’m so sorry I just didn’t want her to get hurt and I panicked and I  _ shot _ you and-”

“Suzaku!” he interrupted quickly. “Calm down. It’s fine. I’m the one that told you to shoot me if you didn’t like what I was doing,” he grumbled. “You didn’t have to carry me back and you don’t have to be here. I’m just an Enforcer. I’m entirely a tool to be used under your jurisdiction.”

“But I  _ shot you, _ ” he insisted. “I’m really sorry… I mean, I don’t regret stopping you but I feel like I could have done it in a better way...”

Lelouch sighed and prayed for his pillow to swallow him whole. “I said it was fine. You don’t have to be here.”

Suzaku frowned silently for a long moment. “Lelouch… what happened to you?” he asked softly.

This was exactly what Lelouch was afraid of. Suzaku managed to shoot him right in the spine, so he doubted he would be able to walk again until tomorrow at least.

“My Crime Coefficient increased beyond  _ proper citizen _ levels, so they carted me off to a correctional facility. Their therapy didn’t work, but I had the aptitude for an Enforcer, so they offered me a position. Now I’m here.”

“But… what  _ happened? _ ”

Suzaku looked concerned and full of sympathy. He hated that. People weren’t supposed to look at him like that anymore, not now that he was an Enforcer. Enforcers were hunting dogs and latent criminals before they were people. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Lelouch, where is Nunnally?”

It was cruel irony that the one thing he still seemed to be able to feel was pressure on his chest and a drop in his stomach. This wasn’t supposed to happen to him anymore.

“She’s… in a care home. Sayoko is looking after her,” he admitted reluctantly.

“A care home?” he asked, his voice rising in pitch again.

“She’s blind now, and can’t walk,” he muttered, avoiding Suzaku’s gaze as much as he could considering how little he could move his neck.

“Lelouch… Lelouch what happened?” he asked again, and Lelouch barely felt him grab his lame wrist. He sounded like he was about to cry. “You both just… disappeared when we were eight...”

Lelouch took a deep breath and stared pointedly at the sterile white wall of the infirmary, taking a moment to regain control over the turmoil in his gut. He didn’t want to embarrass himself further by tripping over any words. “Our mother was shot and killed. We were both there, and Nunnally got caught in it too. That’s why she can’t walk, and that’s why I…” He shut his mouth and tried to sink into the pillow again. “Well, I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“You said… that trauma has a habit of awakening an intent to kill in its victims,” Suzaku quoted him softly, processing. “Did you… Who… was it that did it?”

“I don’t know,” he huffed in frustration, his fingers able to move just enough to grip the sheets. “I had hoped that if I took the Enforcer job I would be able to find her killer myself, but it’s been years since then. I’m still working on it, though.”

“I’ll help you,” Suzaku said immediately, earnestly.

Lelouch snorted. “You’re an Inspector now. That’s not one of your assignments. It’s a cold case.”

“I’ll help you on my days off,” he insisted. “If it doesn’t distract me from my current assignments, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? I could-”

“Suzaku, I’m not your  _ friend _ anymore,” Lelouch interrupted him. “I’m not the person I was when I was eight. I’m an Enforcer now, and you’re supposed to treat me like a subordinate. You’re especially not supposed to be involved in any personal business-”

“You are my friend,” he interrupted right back, standing up with a dangerously determined look in his eyes. “I’m going to go talk to the Chief.”

“Suzaku! Don’t overstep! You’re going to… Shit, Suzaku! Get back here!” Lelouch called after him as he tried and failed to even lift his arms off the bed. “Shit.”

* * *

  
  


It was two days later when Lelouch was finally discharged from the infirmary, not with fully restored motor control, but enough to walk at least. He returned to his cold concrete basement room with no sign of his Inspector, and sat down at his admittedly nice desk chair. They had allowed him a top-of-the-line setup, since this was what he was useful for. He wasn’t much of a field agent. This is where he belonged. Locked up inside behind screens that allowed him to research how people think, better than a supercomputer system that was designed exactly for that purpose.

The real problem was that humans didn’t act logically, and in fact acted erratically and impulsively to the point of self-destruction, especially when their weak points were pressured.

Lelouch knew a thing about weaknesses and self-destruction.

But that’s what made him useful to the System, after all.

He checked his messages. There was only one: an official notice of leave for medical recovery purposes spanning a week. He frowned. He didn’t need any leave time now that he was discharged. He didn’t need to be able to run for his job. This only meant he would have nothing to do for a week’s time. He needed a case to solve, another brain to pick, or his own would start to consume itself. He could only reread his small personal library of ‘approved’ literature so many times. He grimaced at the thought of challenging the other Enforcers in his unit to a game of chess. He had done it too often at this point. They were all so simple minded he knew exactly how the game would go from their first move. Hardly a challenge.

He sighed and pulled up Suzaku’s personnel file to check if he had been reassigned yet after surely making a fool out of himself trying to appeal to the Chief’s humanity. It might have worked if any of them actually considered Enforcers to be human.

Suzaku’s position seemed to be untouched, however. Maybe they just told him to stay in line. He moved on to his usual task when he had nothing else to distract him, and pulled up the case files on his mother’s murder. Again. As if he would notice something different about it this time.

He was suddenly jolted awake by his heavy reinforced door slamming open, from where he hadn’t remembered falling asleep on his keyboard. He whirled around and blinked the drowsiness from his eyes to register his Inspector standing in the doorway, panting.

“Lelouch!” he said, with that stupidly earnest determined look in his eyes again. “Sorry I missed your discharge. Come on!” he said quickly, striding over to grab Lelouch’s arm and pull him out of his chair.

“Wh… What are you doing?” he demanded as he stumbled after him, still uncoordinated on his feet. Suzaku was pulling him all the way through the building and towards the entrance. “Where are we going? I can’t just leave here, Suzaku!”

“I got approval for this,” he said simply. “You’re allowed outside if an Inspector is there to chaperone you.”

“I’m on medical leave. I’m not allowed to go out for any assignments right now either!”

“This isn’t an assignment. I’m not on the clock,” he said, finally letting go of Lelouch to hold open a car door for him.

Lelouch just stood there and frowned, reeling slightly from the sudden physical exertion after being bedridden for a few days. “What is this about?”

“Just get in, trust me.”

Lelouch frowned more as he stared into his painfully honest green eyes and took his seat in the small car. He crossed his legs and stared pointedly out the window as Suzaku crawled in next to him and started off down the street. It had been a while since he had seen the city in the daytime.

“What is it that you need me for?” he asked gruffly. “Where are you taking me?”

“I don’t need you for anything. This is for you.”

Lelouch scoffed, but the retort died on his tongue once he realised the direction they were headed. He whipped around to look at Suzaku finally, who was smiling knowingly at him.

The car pulled in to the apartment complex on the hospital grounds, and Lelouch was opening the door before Suzaku managed to fully park, the rest of the world dropping away in his sudden tunnel vision. He stumbled as quickly as he could to the entryway of the third building, and fell to his knees ungracefully as soon as he caught sight of  _ her. _

He only barely felt Suzaku’s arms wrap around him and pull him to his feet again, to support him through the last few meters it took to end up on his knees again in front of her chair, his vision blurring her image.

“Nunnally…,” he almost whispered as he took her tiny hand in his shaking ones, so carefully, like she could shatter at his touch, like she was just a figment of his imagination, and the dream would end if he made any sudden moves.

Nunnally, on her part, was having none of that, and immediately flung herself off her chair and into her brother’s arms in the middle of the sidewalk. She squeezed him tightly and sobbed into his shoulder, and Lelouch felt complete again for the first time in years.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“You… really haven’t been able to see her for years?” Suzaku asked quietly as he escorted Lelouch back to his room that night.

“Enforcers aren’t allowed outside without an Inspector chaperone,” he reminded him, a little numbly, a little embarrassed of how much of himself he had allowed Suzaku to see in the hours he was able to spend with his sister. “I was allowed photos in emails, and monitored phone calls, sometimes.”

“But… none of your other Inspectors ever took you to see her?” he asked, with some amount of pity, but also indignation.

_ “Inspectors _ don’t use their days off to cater to the personal whims of their Enforcers,” he huffed a little as his door opened for him and he stepped inside the dark room. “And you shouldn’t have either.”

“You’re a human being, Lelouch, and I’m going to treat you like one. You’re also my friend, and so is Nunnally, so I’m going to take you to see her every week,” he said, as if Lelouch had no choice in the matter. He supposed he didn’t. Suzaku was never one to take ‘no’ for an answer.

“You’re not going to survive long in this line of work,” Lelouch sighed as he turned to shut the door again.

“Sybil said I was suited to it. And you, I guess, so you’ll have to deal with it,” he chuckled a little as he also turned to leave.

Lelouch tried not to read too much into those words as he watched him walk away through his half-closed door. “Suzaku,” he called after a long moment of internal debate.

Suzaku stopped and looked over his shoulder at him again. “Hmm?”

He swallowed self-consciously and focused his attention on the door frame. “Thank you, for today. It meant a lot to me,” he admitted quietly.

“I know,” Suzaku smiled at him and waved as he left.


End file.
